Storm Chasers Powerstrokin!

[TurboSevenThree]

Dunno if anyone is into this, but basically there is this group of people that have been trying to record video and weather data INSIDE a tornado. They have a show on The Science Channel and a couple others I think. Pretty interesting.

They have an armored "truck" called the "T.I.V." or Tornado Intercepting Vehicle.



It's based on a F450 Dually w/ a 7.3L Just the chassis, drivetrain, engine, and dash, the rest is custom built. Thought it was cool.

[BigSlick]

yeah i watch that show all the time, those guys are nuts, they also have a new one that keeps on breaking down, so they went back to the 7.3. YES!!!! shows everyone the power and reliability of our trucks

[Eric]

Originally Posted by BigSlick

yeah i watch that show all the time, those guys are nuts, they also have a new one that keeps on breaking down, so they went back to the 7.3. YES!!!! shows everyone the power and reliability of our trucks

Isn't the one they were having all the problems with, a dodge

[99Smokin73Stroker]

Originally Posted by BigSlick

yeah i watch that show all the time, those guys are nuts, they also have a new one that keeps on breaking down, so they went back to the 7.3. YES!!!! shows everyone the power and reliability of our trucks

I knew when I came into this thread there would be ridiculous posts like this. TIV is a complete turd compared to TIV2 even though TIV2 is quite a chunk heavier. If you guys actually watch the show and lay your bias aside, you'll see that the TIV2 being a Dodge and breaking has about zero to do with it. The guy had USA 6x6 build him a 6x6 dually, then threw on all the armor and other stuff and it weights A LOT. The Dodge itself has held up fine, it has been the USA 6x6 suspension and axles that have been the problem. IMO TIV2 was a good idea, they needed something more capable and with more power but they I really think they overbuilt it and that the extra axle is not necessary. It's going to be costly to maintain that's for sure.

[BigSlick]

Originally Posted by 99Smokin73Stroker

I knew when I came into this thread there would be ridiculous posts like this. TIV is a complete turd compared to TIV2 even though TIV2 is quite a chunk heavier. If you guys actually watch the show and lay your bias aside, you'll see that the TIV2 being a Dodge and breaking has about zero to do with it. The guy had USA 6x6 build him a 6x6 dually, then threw on all the armor and other stuff and it weights A LOT. The Dodge itself has held up fine, it has been the USA 6x6 suspension and axles that have been the problem. IMO TIV2 was a good idea, they needed something more capable and with more power but they I really think they overbuilt it and that the extra axle is not necessary. It's going to be costly to maintain that's for sure.

I wouldnt count it as a "turd", yes it might be slower and worse in many ways, but its reliable. Wouldnt you rather have reliablitity when entering a tornado or a truck that breaks constantly? also considering they finished the season on going back and using the original TIV or "road warrior" as quoted from on discoverys website (also says "has proven to be a rugged "road warrior" that just keeps on chasing"). also after much research -----That's where the TIV2 comes in. The first thing you notice from the new chase vehicle is it has sides fitted with hydraulic skirts that can be dropped down to direct high-speed wind safely around the truck. Whether the skirts are down or up, this sucker's imposing thanks to a chassis based on the 2008 Dodge 2500 4x4 with a 1/8th inch welded steel plate body over a steel frame. The chassis was originally strengthened by the now defunct USA 6X6 and welding students at Great Plains Technical Center.-- it is a dodge with "stregthining done by USA.

so as a ridiculous post i dont think so but we all have our own opinions. I would rather be in the TIV which has been proven to work, than the TIV 2 which seems to break at least once a show. and yes i agree with you as in the TIV 2 was a good idea with need of more speed, ground clearence and other things, but it wasnt thought out as greatly which is why TIV 3 is soon on its way and should be seen next season

[99Smokin73Stroker]

Originally Posted by BigSlick

I wouldnt count it as a "turd", yes it might be slower and worse in many ways, but its reliable. Wouldnt you rather have reliablitity when entering a tornado or a truck that breaks constantly? also considering they finished the season on going back and using the original TIV or "road warrior" as quoted from on discoverys website (also says "has proven to be a rugged "road warrior" that just keeps on chasing"). also after much research -----That's where the TIV2 comes in. The first thing you notice from the new chase vehicle is it has sides fitted with hydraulic skirts that can be dropped down to direct high-speed wind safely around the truck. Whether the skirts are down or up, this sucker's imposing thanks to a chassis based on the 2008 Dodge 2500 4x4 with a 1/8th inch welded steel plate body over a steel frame. The chassis was originally strengthened by the now defunct USA 6X6 and welding students at Great Plains Technical Center.-- it is a dodge with "stregthining done by USA.

so as a ridiculous post i dont think so but we all have our own opinions. I would rather be in the TIV which has been proven to work, than the TIV 2 which seems to break at least once a show. and yes i agree with you as in the TIV 2 was a good idea with need of more speed, ground clearence and other things, but it wasnt thought out as greatly which is why TIV 3 is soon on its way and should be seen next season

Your post was ridiculous. You seem to think that the original TIV is more reliable because it's a Ford based vehicle with a 7.3 and it did not break down. TIV is not built like TIV2 is. You might as well have said in your post that "TIV2 sucks because it's a Dodge and it breaks" which is stupid. Whatever was left of the original Dodge truck didn't have an issue, including the engine and transmission. The Dodge truck was not the part of TIV2 that was unreliable, it was the stuff that was non-Dodge stuff like the Axles and whatnot.

And yes, TIV IS a turd. Storm Chasers is one of my top priority shows for my DVR. One of the biggest problems for TIV was that it was not very powerful....not very powerful is what a turd is.

Here's some interesting reading that pretty much clears the air and relieves of guilt the Dodge/Cummins TIV2 was based on over any kind reliability:

Why did the TIV 2 fail for the series?
First of all My name is Daniel, former owner of USA6x6. (maker of the TIV 2) Secondly Sean Casey (Owner of the truck) is deserving of a public apology from me and my staff of the time of the buildup. The continued failures on the truck came out of his pocket, not "Discovery" dollars.

So Why did it fail so much? Short Version: 5 new guys hired to make the deadline, too happy to be on camara, did not do their job, because of lack of knowledge and not paying attention to detail. Primary failure? Lack of oversight.


What happened?

1 Studs sheared off: 17,800 pounds of truck were simply too much for Ebay aluminum wheel spacers.

2: Axle Shafts broke 3X: 1= heat treat company in dallas " give us your best heat treat" they went to rockwell 62! (harder than ice cicles) 2= Local shop cut the splines on the shafts with a mill and were slightly too small and spun out. 3= the season was over when we got the ultra shafts from HDgeartech and dutchman.

3: Axle housing broke in half: not welded properly and not a good idea to begin with for that much weight, sectioned housings should never have been used. Axles were not braced as instructed.

4: Gearover came off: Why? 7/16 bolts were put in 1/2" holes. (see "short story")

5: Axle caps broke off: 7/16" bolts were used in 1/2" holes.(see "short story")

6: transfercase shelled: From pulling the truck on the front axle since the rear was broke. and 1100 Ft pounds of torque from the ATS diesel upgrade didnt help.

7: Front axle bent upward 1 3/4": 17,800 exceeds the stock Dana 60 weight capacity by a wide margin, unit bearings would have crushed soon. this also burnt off a tire in 1 1/2 hours of driving.

8: Suspension broke at pivot point: The vehicle never needed to articulate at all. it needed airbags, not a tricky untested system.

9: Front suspension bottomed out permanantly: Weight. replaced with a kelderman system (sponsored and worked excellent.)

10: Stock front tires almost died but replaced with HD goodyear tires and rickson wheels.

[metallitera]

so how is TIV2 runnin now with the re-do's? Sounds like they learned from the previous failures?

its usually better to go with stuff that is tried & true than trying to reinvent the wheel.

[99Smokin73Stroker]

Not sure yet, I don't think the new season will come out for a few months yet.